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GoorglinGeorge
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Mr. Stein. Fact - you have not responded in a substantive manner regarding the trip report. Why not? So, put some facts about your boat on this forum.
Kararu - Cheng Ho - Don't Believe the Website - Part II
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I was on a Raja Ampat cruise with Voyager in March of 2006. The boat was new (2nd cruise?) and the crew was a mix of very experienced (divemasters and cruise leaders) and just learning. I will say the boat was only 1/2 full giving us tons of room.
The diving was great with no restrictions on bottom time. The office was very responsive in setting up my travel (I was travelling alone). The boat had everything one could want and then some. I had a wonderful trip. I would highly recommend Voyager.
The diving was great with no restrictions on bottom time. The office was very responsive in setting up my travel (I was travelling alone). The boat had everything one could want and then some. I had a wonderful trip. I would highly recommend Voyager.
Strongdiver
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I have not posted here since April '06, but feel compelled to respond to the malicious trip report by ALIAS GEORGE. Being an avid chatboard poster (elsewhere) in the past, I am aware of (1) a scuba community's strong dislike of gutless (good point, Russ!) alias posters; (2) the fact that all LOBs and trips have their CHALLENGES; and (3) the fact that all LOBs strongly encourage WRITTEN feedback from their PAX at the conclusion of their trips. As background for the many of you who have no knowledge of me, (1) I have dived Indonesia 45 times since 1985 (living on Guam, I am only a 5-hour direct flight from Bali, the gateway to diving Magnificent Indonesia); (2) I have been on 6 LOB trips, including TWO to Komodo; (3) I have endured numerous small plane flights; (4) I have "inspected" Kararu's Cheng Ho, but personally chartered Sea Safari V, another of the fleet of 8; (5) I love to eat (yes, spicy food included!). My reply to Alias George is thus based on no knowledge of this particular trip, but my 22-years of diving experience in Indonesia.
(1) THE BOAT
Any reputable "travel writer" does proper research. The Cheng Ho is NOT Taiwan-owned. It was built -- as its stern advertises -- in Surabaya, Java, Indonesia. It is owned by an ethnic Chinese man whose family has lived several generations in Java. It is not PANISI design, it is PHINISI, a proper Bugis schooner. Of the Sea Safari fleet of 8vessels, 5 of which I have personally inspected, the Cheng Ho IS the only one tailored for diving. As such, it is agreeably NOT a Mike Ball luxury LOB, nor an Aggressor nor Peter Hughes fleet boat. It IS, however, a charming, Indonesian, wooden diving boat. Yes, the compressor fumes may waft down-wind. Yes, there may be hot water outages. Yes, there may be leaks. But experienced, flexible "dive travelers" would not be alarmed nor grievously disgruntled.
(2) THE FOOD
Except for a grievious absence of all hot spices (not even Tabasco) aboard my Maldives LOB, I have found Indonesian dive operators to be totally accommodating (as far as possible) in meeting the XPRESSED WISHES of dive PAX. I doubt that Alias George (1) asked for more food, once the buffet offering had been depleted; (2) asked for special preparation to meet his non-spicy gustatory preferences; and (3) had the balls to express his wishes except for after the trip in a disgruntled report. Did he think he signed up for a Gourmet Diving Trip?
(3) THE DAILY PROGRAM
Indonesia is, arguably, a 3rd world nation. Baggage DOES get left behind on small domestic airlines like Merpati. The daily dive program IS subject to attempts to please MOST of the PAX. Thus land excursions and dive sites are subject to change. On my first Komodo trip, I was poorly prepared. With only 6 PAX on the LOB, we opted to change dive sites to warmer water -- where, of course, the diving is inferior. Even on an 11-day trip, pleasing 20 PAX is a delicate balancing act. But, once again, a seasoned, experienced, adventurous diver, will neither be so grievously alarmed, nor publicly disgruntled.
In final "defense" of this dive boat, it has many years of reputation among TOP tour operators and TOP u/w photographers -- such as Burt Jones and Maureen Shimlock. Professional u/w photographer Tim Rock would not have been aboard this trip if he had not known the vessel's and staff's capabilities.
I rest my case.
(1) THE BOAT
Any reputable "travel writer" does proper research. The Cheng Ho is NOT Taiwan-owned. It was built -- as its stern advertises -- in Surabaya, Java, Indonesia. It is owned by an ethnic Chinese man whose family has lived several generations in Java. It is not PANISI design, it is PHINISI, a proper Bugis schooner. Of the Sea Safari fleet of 8vessels, 5 of which I have personally inspected, the Cheng Ho IS the only one tailored for diving. As such, it is agreeably NOT a Mike Ball luxury LOB, nor an Aggressor nor Peter Hughes fleet boat. It IS, however, a charming, Indonesian, wooden diving boat. Yes, the compressor fumes may waft down-wind. Yes, there may be hot water outages. Yes, there may be leaks. But experienced, flexible "dive travelers" would not be alarmed nor grievously disgruntled.
(2) THE FOOD
Except for a grievious absence of all hot spices (not even Tabasco) aboard my Maldives LOB, I have found Indonesian dive operators to be totally accommodating (as far as possible) in meeting the XPRESSED WISHES of dive PAX. I doubt that Alias George (1) asked for more food, once the buffet offering had been depleted; (2) asked for special preparation to meet his non-spicy gustatory preferences; and (3) had the balls to express his wishes except for after the trip in a disgruntled report. Did he think he signed up for a Gourmet Diving Trip?
(3) THE DAILY PROGRAM
Indonesia is, arguably, a 3rd world nation. Baggage DOES get left behind on small domestic airlines like Merpati. The daily dive program IS subject to attempts to please MOST of the PAX. Thus land excursions and dive sites are subject to change. On my first Komodo trip, I was poorly prepared. With only 6 PAX on the LOB, we opted to change dive sites to warmer water -- where, of course, the diving is inferior. Even on an 11-day trip, pleasing 20 PAX is a delicate balancing act. But, once again, a seasoned, experienced, adventurous diver, will neither be so grievously alarmed, nor publicly disgruntled.
In final "defense" of this dive boat, it has many years of reputation among TOP tour operators and TOP u/w photographers -- such as Burt Jones and Maureen Shimlock. Professional u/w photographer Tim Rock would not have been aboard this trip if he had not known the vessel's and staff's capabilities.
I rest my case.
OP
GoorglinGeorge
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Strong Diver,
Is that the name on your passport? Alias?
Malicious. Factual reporting may not be what you see in the glossies but I stand my report. Yes, the boat says Surabaya on the stern and yes Phinisi. Now, can we get back to the substance?
The Kararu/Cheng Ho is in the same price range as Ball, Aggressor, and Hughes. By the way, I have been on them all more than once. Keep in mind, unless they have changed the web site, it did advertise this boat as "luxury".
If you don't disagree with the description of the boat, food, or its operation then what is your point?
Is that the name on your passport? Alias?
Malicious. Factual reporting may not be what you see in the glossies but I stand my report. Yes, the boat says Surabaya on the stern and yes Phinisi. Now, can we get back to the substance?
The Kararu/Cheng Ho is in the same price range as Ball, Aggressor, and Hughes. By the way, I have been on them all more than once. Keep in mind, unless they have changed the web site, it did advertise this boat as "luxury".
If you don't disagree with the description of the boat, food, or its operation then what is your point?
Bali Diver
Contributor
Hey ! not going to make any judgements here as it would not be fair on either party without knowing the full facts and have followed this post resisting not to make a comment but to my conclusion
@Strongman Diver you post is quite correct in what you say and also no LOB can be perfect.
@Geogre i feel that you thought paying $3875 you would get standards of comforts etc.. like aggressor,hughes and ball in fairness to you i would expect the same for that money and that i see a whale shark on most dives ha ha (joking ok ) and to you it was not,there are some points you made which i will not point out which are interesting and i would also say i don't like diving on a boat of 20 divers unless i know them all and on a Lob all divers have to be fair to each other if some want to do something different ok as long as it is fair on others on the boat,in Indonesia the guides want everyone to be happy and they don't like to say no to anybody,also in a top destination i dont want to be diving less quality sites.
As i stated i am not going to allow myself to make judgement here as i don't know full fact i would email again with all the details of your points and if theyare a good OP,which i am sure they are, i am sure they will come to some arrangement.
Just confused as they state they don't know who you are,so am confused.
Also because everyone else on a lob had a good time and one did not makes no differents and if it was me i would be wondering why that one person did not.
Like i said making no judgements,email them and bring it to a conclusion.
Happy Diving !
@Strongman Diver you post is quite correct in what you say and also no LOB can be perfect.
@Geogre i feel that you thought paying $3875 you would get standards of comforts etc.. like aggressor,hughes and ball in fairness to you i would expect the same for that money and that i see a whale shark on most dives ha ha (joking ok ) and to you it was not,there are some points you made which i will not point out which are interesting and i would also say i don't like diving on a boat of 20 divers unless i know them all and on a Lob all divers have to be fair to each other if some want to do something different ok as long as it is fair on others on the boat,in Indonesia the guides want everyone to be happy and they don't like to say no to anybody,also in a top destination i dont want to be diving less quality sites.
As i stated i am not going to allow myself to make judgement here as i don't know full fact i would email again with all the details of your points and if theyare a good OP,which i am sure they are, i am sure they will come to some arrangement.
Just confused as they state they don't know who you are,so am confused.
Also because everyone else on a lob had a good time and one did not makes no differents and if it was me i would be wondering why that one person did not.
Like i said making no judgements,email them and bring it to a conclusion.
Happy Diving !
bodiver13
Contributor
nitrox anyone? 
I like to thoroughly research things when planning a trip. That often includes reading a lot of trip reports. If you read enough of them you start to see patterns.
Some people are really easy to please. Some people are really hard to please. Some reports are made by people with planned agendas.
Negative reviews are due to expections not being met. Forget about whether the expectation is reasonable. To the person who made the negative review, his/her expectation was reasonable. The question I ask myself is, do their expectations match mine ? Is what I consider important, what they consider important ?
Some people are really easy to please. Some people are really hard to please. Some reports are made by people with planned agendas.
Negative reviews are due to expections not being met. Forget about whether the expectation is reasonable. To the person who made the negative review, his/her expectation was reasonable. The question I ask myself is, do their expectations match mine ? Is what I consider important, what they consider important ?
eupyrmna_sp
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What I find most interesting is the way mr Stein, Kararu Dive Voyages, respond to criticism. They don't address any of the problems mentioned in the review. They simply claim that everything is wrong without giving any information to substatiate this. They actually haven't presented any useful information whatsoever. I would like to see a more serious approach from a liveaboard operation.
I was on this trip also. If you love boats, this one is a beauty. The diving was outstanding. There is no better dive guide than Gusti.
While critical and strongly opinionated, the dive report is essentially factual.
I had 1 hot shower and 3 warm showers on the 11 day trip. After one night dive I rushed to my room, turned on the shower & there was no water. When some water finally appeared, it remained cold. Hot water on a boat is not too much to ask. And I put this in my written report to Kararu, Mr. Stein.
While critical and strongly opinionated, the dive report is essentially factual.
I had 1 hot shower and 3 warm showers on the 11 day trip. After one night dive I rushed to my room, turned on the shower & there was no water. When some water finally appeared, it remained cold. Hot water on a boat is not too much to ask. And I put this in my written report to Kararu, Mr. Stein.
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